Talk:Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Assertion
The alleged agenda of PCRM is healthy nutrition. The actual agenda of PCRM is animal rights, and it is in part funded by PETA: see the section on its Wikipedia article.

Now one might say that animal rights is a worthy cause, and that justifies skewing nutritional research in favour of non-animal foods. Little white lies for a greater cause, if you will. But it is still using the exact same tactic that corporations and moral pressure groups on the political right use, and if SourceWatch is going to be fair and accurate, it should discuss that. Sagredo 03:23, 6 December 2010 (UTC)

Response
I believe that PCRM is both a health and animal advocacy group, mainly focusing on diet and animal research (as mentioned in the article). It is also included in the the animal rights category and its relationship with PETA is mentioned in section 5. I don't believe this is generally considered to be a discrepancy, since the two can be complimentary. That said, the very clear trend of legitimate, nutritional research favors plant based (vegetarian or vegan) diets. This is not "little white lies for a greater cause, if you will" nor "skewing nutritional research in favour of non-animal foods". These diets are recommended by groups such as the American Dietetic Association (ADA):


 * "Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat (including fowl) or seafood, or products containing those foods. This article reviews the current data related to key nutrients for vegetarians including protein, n-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, and vitamins D and B-12. A vegetarian diet can meet current recommendations for all of these nutrients. In some cases, supplements or fortified foods can provide useful amounts of important nutrients. An evidence-based review showed that vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. The results of an evidence-based review showed that a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. Vegetarians also appear to have lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension and type 2 diabetes than nonvegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Features of a vegetarian diet that may reduce risk of chronic disease include lower intakes of saturated fat and cholesterol and higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, soy products, fiber, and phytochemicals. The variability of dietary practices among vegetarians makes individual assessment of dietary adequacy essential. In addition to assessing dietary adequacy, food and nutrition professionals can also play key roles in educating vegetarians about sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and dietary modifications to meet their needs." Vegetarian Diets, American Dietetic Association, Volume 109, Issue 7, Pages 1266-1282, July 2009

Of course, this information was provided in the article's references as well as internal links. Sigh. However, here are some of them again. See also meat & dairy industry, sections 4, 5 & 6.


 * 1) Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell II The China Study, 2005, ISBN 1-932100-38-5
 * 2) ↑ Teresa T. Fung, ScD Dietary Patterns, Meat Intake and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in Women, Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 164 No. 20, November 2004
 * 3) ↑ Yiqing Song, MD A Prospective Study of Red Meat Consumption and Type 2 Diabetes in Middle-Aged and Elderly Women, American Diabetes Association, Inc., 27:2108-2115, 2004
 * 4) ↑ M.A. Sanjoaquin Nutrition, lifestyle and colorectal cancer incidence: a prospective investigation of 10,998 vegetarians and non-vegetarians in the United Kingdom British Journal of Cancer, pg 118–121, published on-line January 2004
 * 5) ↑ June M Chan Dairy products, calcium and prostate cancer risk in the Physicians' Health Study, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 74, No. 4, pg. 549-554, October 2001

Geez, I don't see any animal rights groups listed here. I guess that's because nutritional studies aren't generally conducted by animal rights groups (they are allowed to cite them though.) What a happy coincidence that what is beneficial for humans, benefits animals as well. I have to wonder why this is so upsetting and disconcerting to some? That said, please bother to at least thoroughly read an article and it's links, before making incorrect assumptions and spurious remarks. If the general tone of this article is too complimentary for your taste, it is due to your own personal prejudice, rather than inaccurate information.

Lisa L. December 6, 2010


 * they actually advocate a vegan diet, not so much a vegetarian diet. The PCRM regularly attack the dairy and milk industries. Vegetarians usually consume more dairy than omnivores, just take a look at India. MythBusterKel 03:23, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

Claim omits key response
User Sagredo references a Wikipedia article on the PCRM to back up his assertion that the PCRM is a "front group" for PETA. Those allegations have been made by documented front groups like the Center for Consumer Freedom, which was created by front group king, Richard Berman, which SourceWatch has extensively profiled. The editor fails to acknowledge the original source of those allegations and their own bias and agenda.

The editor also omits PCRM's response that allegation, as noted in the wiki article: "PCRM has responded to groups it says are funded by the 'meat, dairy or chemical industries' stating they have 'no corporate affiliation with any animal protection group' and that PETA's contribution was small," noting that the foundation gave Barnard's group $592,000 a decade ago, in 1999 and 2000, and also donated another $265,000 in the decade before that. See Meredith Wadman, Profile:Neal Barnard, Nature Medicine, 12, 602, (2006. PCRM has noted that CCF relies on "distortion and name-calling" by labelling health advocates as "food police," "nazis" or "nannies", and animal protection groups as "radicals or terrorists."